The Crest of Love and Courage
by Sora
Summary: a tai and sora romance ^_^
1. Default Chapter Title

**The Crest of Love and Courage**

**Part One**   


_************************************************_   
_The Romance of Tai and Sora_   
_Hi, this is my first attempt at writing fan fiction, so please whether it be bad or good I'd really like to get some feedback, well all you Sora and Tai fans enjoy._   
_************************************************_

Right after Birdramon digivolved into Garudamon, Tai mentioned he had felt something when Sora's crest glowed. Joe thought he felt something, but as Mimi pointed out it was just some seashells in his back pocket. Tai hadn't mentioned it to anyone, but he really felt something for Sora, and it was more than just the protective feeling he had been having. Tai sat thinking. _It all began during our adventure in the digi-world,_ he thought. He admired her for her strength and calm approach to things. Soon before he realized it, these feelings became more than just admiration, but he kept thinking he was just over protective. Now he knew the crest made his true feelings show. _Now what do I do,_ thought Tai. _Should I tell her or not._

"Hey Tai, what's wrong?" Tai looked up to see Sora looking at him with a puzzled look on her face. _Well here goes nothing,_ thought Tai.

"Sora, can you come with me. We need to talk." With that Tai got up and walked away from the group into the jungle. Sora watched him get up and head off.

_What's this about,_ she wondered. She really didn't want to go off but curiosity got the best of her.

Tai was so lost in his thoughts he didn't see Agumon coming up behind him until he almost ran him over.

"Hey watch it," yelled Tai, who was trying to keep his balance.

"Sorry Tai," Agumon said sheepishly.

"Tai, what are you doing out here?"

Tai looked at his small friend. _Should I tell him or not,_ thought Tai. _Why not, if I can't trust my own digimon than who can I trust?_ "Well Agumon, I'm here to meet Sora. I need to talk to her," admitted Tai.

"Why do you need to talk to her out here?" asked Agumon.

"Well, it's kinda hard to explain, but I really like her." Tai blushed as he spoke.

"The way I like food?" asked Agumon. Tai looked at his friend and laughed.

"No Agumon," said Tai, "I like her more than that, and it was her crest that made me fully realize my feelings and if it wasn't for my crest, I probably wouldn't have the courage to tell her." Tai smiled.

"So, you're going to tell her now and that's why you called her?" Agumon looked at Tai.

"Yes, that's why," Tai answered.

"Well good luck Tai" Agumon finally spoke.

"Thanks Agumon," replied Tai.

Tai watched as Agumon walked off back towards camp. He then turned back to the lake and watched the calm water and the reflection of the moon. _What's taking her so long,_ wondered Tai.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Sora sat in the bushes on her way to meet Tai. She had overheard some voices and stopped to listen. To her amazement she discovered that it was Tai and Agumon. She couldn't believe what she had heard. "Tai likes me..." she whispered in disbelief. Sora thought back to when her crest glowed. She had felt it reach out and touch someone, then she had felt a surge of courage. _It was Tai my crest reached out to and his crest reached back._ Thoughts were racing through Sora's mind. She did care for Tai and did feel something for him, but had figured it was just a passing crush. But with this realization she wasn't sure now. _Am I ready for this,_ Sora asked silently. _Well there's one way to find out._ Sora stepped out of the bushes startling Tai.

Tai turned around when he saw her, he had to smile. She looked angelic to him and he knew nothing could ever change his mind.

"Glad you came" Tai said. Sora walked up to him but didn't look up to face him.

"Sora, what's wrong?" Tai asked when she didn't say anything. _Why is she being so quiet?_ Then it dawned on him. _Either she heard Agumon and I talking or she already knew that I liked her...Wonderful,_ he thought. _Now what am I going to do? She won't talk to me or even look at me!_ Tai felt rotten. He hung his head down and turned away. Tai looked out towards the lake, but his vision got blurry. Suddenly he sat down an didn't move.

Sora watched Tai. She wanted to say something, but nothing sounded right. She felt so shy suddenly and found it difficult to talk to him, but she knew she had to say something or else Tai would be heartbroken. She really did like him, but what could she say? _What a dilemma,_ thought Sora. She walked up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Tai" she started, but couldn't go on. She tried again but no words came out.

Tai heard Sora say his name but nothing else. He turned to look at her and found her looking at him, her hand on his shoulder. She looked as if she was going to say something but stopped. _She looks so shy,_ thought Tai. He stood up and stepped closer to her. Sora looked down as he stood up and Tai slowly put his hand out offering it to her. Sora looked up at him, and then put her hand in his. Tai had a small smile on his face and Sora couldn't help but smile back. Now holding hands, Tai pulled her closer causing Sora to tilt her head down again. They were so close that Tai could feel her hat just inches from his face.

"Sora," whispered Tai. "What's wrong?" Sora was still looking down.

"Nothing...nothings wrong." Sora seemed content just to stare at the ground.

Tai moved his one hand and placed it under Sora's chin. Slowly he lifted her face to look at him. When their eyes met, Tai felt something. It was his crest lighting up and Sora's started to glow too. They both looked at the crests and then back at each other. Finally inches apart, Tai leaned forward and Sora did the same. Their eyes closed when their lips met in a light kiss. They pulled away slowly and opened their eyes. Sora's arms were wrapped around Tai's neck and Tai's arms were wrapped around Sora's waist.

Tai looked at Sora and spoke softly. "Sora, I really like and care about you and nothing will ever change that." Sora looked at him and kissed him again, a quicker kiss than before but just as nice.

"I like you too," Sora said as she rested her head on Tai's shoulder. "I could stay like this forever," whispered Sora.

"So could I," answered Tai.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Agumon walked back into camp and headed for the fire and food. Biyomon was wondering where Sora was. When she spotted Agumon coming out of the jungle she decided to find out where Sora had gone to.

"Agumon do you know where Sora is?" Biyomon asked inquisitively.

"She was going to meet Tai in the jungle." Agumon answered. Agumon sat down infront of the fire and began to eat. TK who usually sat with the digimon, was listening to Agumon and Biyomon and was very curious.

"Agumon why was Sora going to meet Tai?" asked TK

"Well, he said he wanted to talk with her," answered Agumon in between bites of food.

"What were they going to talk about?" TK asked.

"He wanted to tell her that he liked her," said Agumon.

"Tai likes Sora!" TK exclaimed.

"Yeah, and he likes her more than I like food," Agumon said scratching his head. "I didn't think you could like anything more than food."

"Wow," said TK. "I got to go tell the others," and with that TK got up and walked off. Biyomon who had been listening to the conversation, decided to go find Sora.

Biyomon walked for a while before she stumbled upon them. They were hugging and they both looked like they were sleeping.

"Sora are you awake?" shouted Biyomon. Sora and Tai both jumped and quickly pulled away from each other.

"Hey Biyomon, what's up?" asked Sora smiling nervously.

"Why were you two hugging?" asked Biyomon.

"Ah...Sora tripped and I caught her," answered Tai.

"Well Agumon told me you like Sora," said Biyomon.

"Oh, boy," whispered Tai. "Um...well of course I like Sora, she is my best friend," answered Tai, laughing nervously.

"Well then you'd better tell TK." said Biyomon.

"Why?" asked Sora.

"Because he's telling everyone at camp." Biyomon finished looking up at Tai and Sora. Biyomon watched Tai groan and hit his forehead. Sora looked nervously from Biyomon to Tai.

"Tai, maybe we should at least tell Biyomon. She is my digimon after all." said Sora.

"You're right. You tell her and I'll try to stop TK." with that Tai gave Sora a smile and quickly took off in the direction of the camp.

"What was that about?" asked Biyomon.

"Well, what Agumon said is true...Tai does like me." answered Sora. "And I like him too, but you have to keep it a secret."

"What's a secret?" inquired Biyomon.

"It's when you know something but can't tell anyone else." replied Sora.

"Oh, I get it!" exclaimed Biyomon.

"Well then we'd better get to camp and see what's happening," with that Sora and Biyomon headed back for camp.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

When Sora and Biyomon arrived at camp Tai was standing off to the side with TK. Sora decided to join them. As she walked closer she could her Tai talking.

"TK now you must remember, you can't tell anyone else, okay?" said Tai.

"OK" replied TK.

"Uh oh, who did he tell?" asked Sora, startling both TK and Tai.

"Hey Sora, he couldn't find everyone, but Matt and Mimi now know, but they promised not to tell anyone." Tai answered.

"That's a bit of a relief," replied Sora.

"I'm sorry I told them, but when Agumon told me I thought it was okay to tell cuz he never told me it was a secret," TK explained sheepishly.

"So that's who started it. Well now I'm going to have to talk to Agumon," said Tai messing up TK's hair and hat. "Don't worry little guy," Tai told him. "You're still my number one buddy."

"Thanks Tai," said TK. Tai went off with Sora to find Agumon while TK went to go sit with Matt and Mimi.

"Hey Matt," said TK.

"Hey TK," replied Matt. Matt had been lost in his thoughts before TK had showed up. He had been thinking about Tai and Sora. He had known that Sora had a bit of a crush on Tai but never thought she would ever tell him. But now it had happened. _Wow,_ thought Matt. Matt started to think of a way of helping them out. He might not always like Tai, but Sora was a good friend.

Mimi sitting beside Matt was thinking the same thing only with a few exceptions. _Maybe we should make them a romantic dinner,_ she thought. _We could put it in a place so they'd be alone,_ Mimi continued to brainstorm. Just then TK showed up and stayed for a while before going to find Patamon. Mimi decided to ask Matt about her idea since he was the only other person besides TK. who knew.

"Matt?" asked Mimi.

"Yeah?" replied Matt.

"Well about the Sora-Tai thing, do ya think that we should give them a romantic dinner, just the two of them?" Mimi asked.

"That's a bad idea. First of all they're embarrassed enough about us knowing, and if we gave them a romantic dinner, then what would we tell the others, and lastly what would we make the dinner with?" Matt replied coldly.

"Well, you don't have to be so mean about it!" Mimi said, getting up and walking away in a huff. Mimi walked over to where Palmon was sitting with the other digimon.

"Hey Mimi, what's up? Is anything wrong?" asked Palmon.

"Yeah, Matt is what's wrong. He's so mean to me," replied Mimi sitting down beside Palmon.

"Well why don't you tell him?" asked Palmon.

"I did tell him," answered Mimi, "but he doesn't care."

"It's Ok Mimi, I'll never be mean to you." Palmon told her.

"Thanks Palmon," replied Mimi.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

She sat with the digimon a bit longer, until she became so bored that she decided to get some water from the lake. As she walked there, she heard someone laughing. When she got closer to the lake she saw Tai and Sora there. Tai had his arm around Sora's shoulders and Sora was resting her head on Tai's shoulder. _How cute,_ thought Mimi, _wish I had someone._ Mimi watched them for a couple more minutes, fantasizing about herself and some handsome prince. When she was about to turn and leave, she saw Tai and Sora kiss.

"Awwww," Mimi whispered with a goofy grin, "how sweet." Mimi slowly walked back to camp. As she reached the edge of camp she saw Matt who was looking a bit mad. Mimi, still upset from before, decided to ignore him. As she walked by she noticed him heading to the trail leading to the lake.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mimi demanded.

"I'm going to the lake for some water. We're almost out, and Tai, our so-called leader, said he would get some, but I haven't seen him since." answered Matt, angrily stomping away.

"I really wouldn't go there if I were you," replied Mimi.

"And why not?" asked Matt.

"Because Tai is getting the water, he's just getting a little help from Sora." Mimi replied with a mischievous grin.

"Why would he need Sora to..." Matt started, then realized what she meant. "Oh!" was all Matt could say, then looking down the trail. "I guess I could give them a couple more minutes." Matt said trying to hide a grin. "But then we really should go get them." Matt said putting on a serious face. Mimi could barely contain her laughter. Matt was still trying to maintain a straight face, but was slowly losing. "Ah, I better go check on TK." with that Matt left as Mimi stood there at the edge of the jungle.

_He's kinda cute like that,_ thought Mimi. _I can't believe I just thought that. I definitely need some sleep, especially after that long walk and all the bad digimon we had to fight._ Mimi walked back to camp thinking about all she's been through. _I'm going to need a long vacation after this,_ thought Mimi as she found a spot to go to sleep.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

By the time Tai and Sora got back to camp, everyone was already fast asleep, all except Matt who was taking first watch.

"Took you two long enough," Matt said as they walked into camp. Tai started to say something but stopped, and Sora started to blush and looked down at the ground.

"Well, did you at least bring back some water?" asked Matt, trying to hide a grin.

"Well...uh....no," replied Tai sheepishly.

"Fine I'll get some tomorrow," said Matt, showing no emotion at all.

"Thanks," replied Tai.

"Oh, by the way Tai, you have next watch," Matt said.

"You don't sound to happy Matt, something wrong?" asked Tai.

"Well if you and Sora take next watch, which will most likely happen, I'm not sure if any of us will still be here tomorrow morning." said Matt, matter-of-factly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Tai, starting to lose his cool.

"I thought I made myself perfectly clear." replied Matt, looking calm and cool as if this entire conversation didn't really affect him.

"Hey stop it you two!" said Sora, walking up to the two boys. "Matt, stop it" Sora continued feeling a bit frustrated.

"It's Ok Sora," Tai started.

"Let's just get some sleep," Sora said yawning.

"You're right," agreed Tai.

"Goodnight Matt," said Sora walking over to Tai.

"Yeah, goodnight." replied Matt.

Tai and Sora walked to the fire and found a place to sleep. As they were falling asleep, Tai reached out and grabbed Sora's hand.

"Goodnight Sora," said Tai.

"Goodnight Tai, sweet dreams," replied Sora snuggling closer to Tai.

"Always..." said Tai, drifting off to sleep.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Matt watched as Tai and Sora got closer and then fell asleep. In a way he was happy for Tai, it was very rare to find someone so early in life, but he was also angry that Tai seemed to be forgetting about the things that there group needed. Getting upset over water did seem silly, but it was something that need to be done. There was something else that seemed to be bothering Matt, but he couldn't seem to figure out what. He sighed and looked around the group. He took out his harmonica and started to play quietly so that he wouldn't wake anyone up.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Mimi had been having a great dream. She was at the beach with a cool drink and a soft breeze and the tunes from a harmonica. Usually Mimi would be upset by the music, but now it just seemed comforting. Then in her dream she realized that it was Matt's harmonica she was hearing. It was the same blues song he always played. _I wonder where Matt is,_ thought Mimi walking across the beach. Then Mimi opened her eyes and there was Matt, sitting away from the group leaning against a tree. Mimi watched him for a couple of minutes before becoming uncomfortable. She sat up and noticed Tai and Sora sleeping side by side.

"Awww..." Mimi whispered as she looked at them. _They are so cute together,_ she thought. It was then that she noticed that Matt had stopped playing his harmonica. Mimi turned around and found him looking over at them too. "What's wrong Matt?" Mimi asked, surprising Matt.

"Nothing," he snapped after regaining his composure.

"Matt what is up with you?" Mimi asked. "You're more grumpy than your usual self."

"Nothing's wrong," Matt said, quickly getting up at the same time. He started to walk over to where Tai and Sora were sleeping.

"What are you doing?" asked Mimi, noticing where he was headed.

"It's Tai's turn to take watch," replied Matt coolly.

Mimi looked at him, _something is really bugging him but what?_ thought Mimi. "Don't wake them up," Mimi finally spoke.

"And why not, it's his turn," Matt said grumpily.

"Why are you mad at Tai?" Mimi asked him.

"I'm not mad, it's just....it's nothing." Matt replied looking at the ground.

Mimi watched as Matt glanced over at Tai and Sora and watched his expression go from mad to sad, and then it hit her. "You're jealous, aren't you?" said Mimi matter-of-factly.

"Leave me alone!" Matt snapped raising his voice.

Mimi just stared at Matt. _What a grouch,_ she thought as she tried to get comfortable again. Mimi tossed and turned. _Why can't I fall asleep?_ thought Mimi beginning to get frustrated. When Mimi sat back up again she noticed Tai had taken the watch. He was sitting up but was still beside Sora, holding her hand as she slept on. _I wonder where Matt went off to,_ thought Mimi as she scanned the group and realized that he wasn't there. Mimi looked over at Tai.

"Where did Matt go?" Mimi asked.

Tai looked at her and replied, "When he woke me up he seemed upset and took off towards the lake." Tai pointed in the direction of a nearby trail.

"Thanks Tai." said Mimi, as she got up and headed towards the trail.

Tai watched her go with a small grin on his face. He looked down and smiled at the sight of Sora sleeping. "My angel," whispered Tai, removing a strand of hair from her face. Then he looked back up at the trail Mimi had just disappeared down.

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	2. Default Chapter Title

#  **The Crest of Love and Courage**

#  **Part Two**

  
_************************************************_   
_The Romance of Tai and Sora_   
_Hi, this is my first attempt at writing fan-fiction, so please whether it be bad or good I'd really like to get some feedback, well all you Sora and Tai fans enjoy. Mail your comments to me at **Huntress28@hotmail.com**._   
_************************************************_

Matt was sitting beside the lake thinking back to the scene at the camp. "You're jealous aren't you?" Mimi's words stayed in his head. "Wonderful, now Mimi thinks I'm jealous of Tai and Sora." Matt said aloud, staring at the night sky. _Am I jealous,_ thought Matt. _I don't know anymore._ Matt tried to clear the thoughts out of his head, but he couldn't seem to shake them. _I am jealous of Tai and Sora,_ Matt thought after reasoning with himself. _But why?_ he wondered. Suddenly the bushes behind him started to rustle. _Great,_ he thought, _out in the middle of nowhere without my digimon, and probably with some evil digimon who most likely wants to make a bedtime snack out of me. This can't get any worse._ Matt jumped up ready to fight whatever came through the bushes. Then he saw a giant pink hat coming through and finally Mimi stepped out.

"Hi Matt" Mimi said cheerfully.__

_Wonderful,_ thought Matt, _it just got worse._

"Hey Matt, you feeling ok?" Mimi asked when she saw the far off look on his face. Matt looked down at Mimi who looked back at him, her eyes wide with concern.

"I'm fine Mimi. Why don't you go back to camp?" Matt replied, turning his back to her and looking out towards the lake again.

Mimi just watched him. He wasn't as mad as before, but there was still something wrong. She could feel it, but when he told her to leave and then turning his back on her, she had just about had it. "Look Matt," Mimi started to yell. "I came all the way out her to see if you were Ok, and you treat me like one of Joe's allergic reactions. You are being rude and self-centered and if you wanted me to go back to camp, you could at least have offered to walk me there to make sure I got there safely." Mimi stood looking at him on the verge of tears. She waited for him to say something.

Matt turned around to look at Mimi. "Look who's talking about being rude and self-centered." he replied coldly.

Mimi just looked at him, her jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. She felt the tears running down her face. She turned and ran. _How could he be so cruel to me?_ thought Mimi as she raced blindly through the forest. When she finally stopped to catch a breather, she noticed that she must have run off the trail, because the camp was no where nearby. "Great, now I'm lost." Mimi said out loud. After checking her surroundings, she finally decided it would be better if she just stayed there for the night. Mimi sat down next to a big tree. Finally she lied down slowly and drifted into sleep. "Matt," Mimi whispered sleepily. "Why do you hate me when I like you so much?" Mimi cried a bit more before sleep overtook her, and she slept a dreamless sleep.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Matt watched Mimi run off crying. He tried to call out to her, but she was already gone. "I could just kick myself." Matt said aloud. _She was just trying to help,_ he thought. _I'd better go apologize, I didn't mean to hurt her._ Matt started to walk down the trails. He knew he was jealous of Tai and Sora, it was because they had each other. Matt never really felt like he had anyone in his life, with the exception of TK, his parents split up and he always felt that he was responsible for TK. He was always trying to make TK feel better, even though he felt terrible. There was no one to help Matt deal with the divorce, and he just grew more and more distant from everyone. It was his way of keeping himself from getting hurt, by not letting anyone get close to him. Now it was all coming back to haunt him. He wanted to have someone that he could care about, and would care about him too, just like the way Sora and Tai had each other.__

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ __

Matt finally approached the camp site. Tai was standing guard, actually it was more like sitting guard next to a sleeping Sora. He looked up when Matt walked closer to them and gave him a kind of questioning look. Matt ignored him and scanned the sleeping bodies, but Mimi wasn't there. He checked again, but still no Mimi.

"Tai, didn't Mimi come back to camp yet?" asked Matt, looking a bit worried.

"No, last time I saw her she was looking for you." Tai replied.__

_Oh no,_ Matt thought. _She didn't come back, maybe I was too mean to her. I shouldn't have said those things. Now she's gone and I didn't even get a chance to say sorry._ Matt rammed his fist into a nearby tree in frustration.

"Take it easy, Matt." said Tai. "She's probably just wandered off the trail."

Matt looked down at Tai. "You think so?" asked Matt.

"Definitely," replied Tai. "We all know that Mimi's sense of direction isn't always there."

Matt looked at Tai again, then over to the trail. "I guess we'd better go find her then." replied Matt.

"OK fine but you'll have to go Matt," Tai said. "I've got to keep watch and everyone else is asleep." Matt turned and looked at Tai, who was wearing a goofy grin.

"Fine." Matt replied. He looked out to the trail. _I'm really sorry Mimi. I'll make it up to you._ With that Matt headed back down the trail.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ __

Matt retraced his steps back to the lake, then walked back down the trail looking down at the ground the entire time. Finally after a couple of minutes, Matt noticed a break in the trail. Broken branches and leaves scattered everywhere marked the place. The trial was easy enough to follow so Matt decided to go on. _I hope this was Mimi's doing and not some mean tempered digimon,_ thought Matt, making his way carefully through the small bushes and trees. He had been walking for about five minutes when he came across a clearing with a large tree in the middle. Then he spotted something pink at the base of the tree. _Mimi,_ thought Matt as he rushed forward.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Mimi was having a nice dream. She was at the beach again but Matt was there and they were sitting together looking out towards the ocean. Matt was playing his harmonica, when he suddenly stopped. Mimi looked over at him wondering why he had stopped, but when she turned, Matt had also turned and was staring at her. He was smiling. Then he started leaning closer and closer...Then there was shaking and a voice calling her name. Mimi sat up, still groggy from sleep and quite upset.

"Why'd you wake me up? I was having such a wonderful dream. I was about to kiss Ma...ahh!" Mimi suddenly screamed when she realized who she was talking to. Mimi looked down and blushed about five different shades of red. _Great, I hope he didn't realize I was talking about him,_ thought Mimi, who couldn't resist talking a peek at Matt.

He was still standing but was now looking in a different direction. After quite an awkward silence, Mimi spoke. "Well Matt, did you wake me up for a reason, or do you just enjoy bugging me?" Mimi looked up at Matt, waiting for him to say something.

Matt looked over at Mimi, who was still sitting by the tree. "Well I wouldn't have to wake you up if you hadn't gotten lost." Matt replied, looking away from her again.

"What?!" said a very angry Mimi. "Well, I wouldn't have gotten lost if you hadn't made me so angry."

"That's not an excuse, Mimi. It's your own fault." replied Matt calmly. "Come on, we'd better get back to camp before it gets any later." Matt started back to the broken branch trail that Mimi had made, but when he looked back to check if she was following, he found that she was gone. "Mimi," Matt said starting to get annoyed. He looked around for her but she was no where to be seen. _Great, now where'd she go?_ thought Matt. _I hope she's okay._ Matt scanned the clearing again, making sure to be very quiet. Then he heard it. It was a muffled sound, but he knew where it was coming from. He walked back over to the large tree. He noticed that the base of it was huge as he slowly started to walk around it.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Mimi was really upset. She couldn't believe Matt. _I'm not going back with him,_ thought Mimi, as she ran and hid on the other side of the tree. She knew it wasn't a very good place, but she didn't care. All she could think about was how bad Matt was treating her. Once on the other side, Mimi sat down and began to cry. She put her face into her hands and tucked up her legs, trying not to make any noise. Mimi cried with a broken heart. The first person she ever cared about didn't care about her.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Matt found Mimi there crying. She didn't see him because she was still covering her face. Matt felt guilty. _She's so sad, and its all my fault,_ thought Matt. _Idiot._ Matt resisted the urge to hit himself in the head. Instead he walked over and sat down beside Mimi.

"Mimi," Matt said. Mimi looked up from crying, her eyes red and filled with unshed tears. She knew who it was, but she just couldn't resist looking up into his eyes. "Mimi..." Matt started. "I..I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry." Matt started to fiddle with his hands. He wasn't very good at apologizing.

Mimi just looked up at him. She was confused, one minute he was mean to her and the next he was actually apologizing. _Matt's never apologized to anyone,_ thought Mimi.

"OK," stammered Mimi.

"Good," said Matt, "now we better get back to camp." Mimi just sat there unmoving, no longer looking at Matt. "Mimi, come on. I said I was sorry." Matt said. Mimi was still looking away.

"You go back. I'm going to stay here tonight."

"But what if an evil digimon shows up. No one will be here to help you." Matt replied. _Why doesn't that sound right?_ Matt just pushed the thought out of his head, and decided to concentrate on trying to get Mimi back to camp safely. Mimi still hadn't responded and showed no interest in his words or the situation she was in.

Matt was slowly losing his patience. "Fine," he said. "I'm going to go back then." Matt got up and began to slowly walk away, all the time watching Mimi for any movement.

"Well see you then." Mimi said not looking up.__

_Great, so much for reverse psychology,_ thought Matt. _Now what am I supposed to do?_ Matt thought about it before coming up with the perfect plan. He walked back over to Mimi and sat down beside her.

"I thought you were leaving." said Mimi looking a little surprised.

"Well if you don't want to leave you're going to need someone to help you find your way back tomorrow morning or the gang just might leave without you." Matt answered leaning back against the tree with his arms behind his head. Mimi looked at him questioningly, but when he didn't continue she just shrugged.

"Fine, do whatever you want." With that Mimi turned around, her back facing Matt, and went to sleep.

Matt just watched her. _Man, she must be really mad at me,_ thought Matt. He stared up into the starry sky, the moon was half hidden by mysterious clouds. _Why do I feel the need to protect her?_ Thinking back to his conversation with Mimi earlier. "But what if an evil digimon shows up? No one will be here to protect you." What he had really wanted to say was "I won't be here to protect you..." Matt knew why he was so protective, but he didn't want to admit it to himself. Matt looked over at Mimi who was tossing and turning in her sleep. _She's kinda cute, when she isn't always complaining,_ thought Matt. "I think I need some sleep," Matt said aloud. _I can't believe I just thought that,_ wondered Matt as he lied down, still staring at the stars. Pondering over recent thoughts, he yawned sleepily. _I'll figure it out tomorrow,_ he thought, slowly drifting off to sleep.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Mimi was still tossing and turning. Matt had just turned over onto his side, trying to get comfortable when Mimi rolled over. She had rolled over right beside him, then snuggled up beside him and didn't move. Matt just lied there, not knowing whether or not to move. Although he wouldn't admit it to himself, he was kinda enjoying it; finally him and Mimi weren't arguing. Too bad she was asleep and he was to stubborn to do anything. Matt finally fell asleep with Mimi by his side. He slept a peaceful sleep.

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	3. Default Chapter Title

#  **The Crest of Love and Courage**

#  **Part Three**

###  By: Sora (aka Huntress)

  
_************************************************_   
_The Romance of Tai and Sora_   
_Hi, this is my first attempt at writing fan fiction, so please whether it be bad or good I'd really like to get some feedback, well all you Sora and Tai fans enjoy. Mail your comments to me at **Huntress28@hotmail.com**._   
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The next morning, Matt woke with a start. _Where am I?_ he thought. _Where are the others?_ Matt heard mumbling. He looked beside him to find a still sleeping Mimi. Suddenly it hit him; what had happened the night before and his decision to stay with Mimi. Matt just stretched out and pushed the thoughts away. _We'd better get back to camp,_ thought Matt, as he stood up. Matt then looked over at Mimi. He debated about waking her up, remembering the incident from the night before. Matt sighed. "I guess I better wake her up." Matt said aloud. He stepped down beside her. "Mimi, time to get up."

Mimi was still groggy. "Just five more minutes Mom." Then she rolled over and began sleeping again.

"Great, this is going to be awhile." Matt said, trying to think of a way to get Mimi to wake up and not have her angry at him. "I've got it," said Matt. He stepped over to Mimi and picked her up. _Well at least she's not heavy,_ thought Matt, walking down the trail.

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When Matt finally reached camp, Izzy was on watch. He was so busy typing away at his computer, he didn't even notice Matt walking by. Everyone else was still sleeping. Tai and Sora were still sleeping close to each other, but they weren't holding hands or snuggling anymore. _Well, they're secret is still safe for now,_ thought Matt, who put Mimi down by the sleeping digimon. He walked over to Izzy.

"Hey, watcha doing?" asked Matt, trying to see the computer screen.

"I'm trying to reach Genni," replied Izzy, not taking his eyes off the screen. Matt just sat back and watched Izzy type away some more before becoming bored.

_ Maybe I should try and get some more sleep,_ thought Matt as he yawned. Matt walked over to the middle of the group and lied down, drifting off to sleep.

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Tai woke up groggily. _Why do I have to get up?_ he thought as he rubbed his eyes. Tai looked up at the sky, then down to the sleeping form beside him. Tai smiled as he looked at her. _Sora,_ he thought. _My Sora._ Tai gently pushed aside a strand of hair, then remembering they weren't alone, quickly made sure that no one saw. Tai relaxed, only Izzy was up, and he was so absorbed by the computer he probably wouldn't notice if a herd of monochromon stampeded through the camp. Tai then remembered that Matt hadn't come back during his watch that night. He quickly looked around the group. Mimi was sleeping by the digimon, while Matt was sleeping near the group.

_I wonder what is going on with those two,_ he wondered. Still deep in thought, Tai didn't notice Sora waking up until she spoke to him.

"Tai, what's wrong?" asked Sora, her voice filled with concern.

Tai looked down and smiled. "Nothings wrong, Sora. I was just thinking about those two." Tai answered, motioning towards Matt and Mimi.

Sora smiled. "You should leave them alone, Tai." cautioned Sora. "Matt doesn't exactly like people prying into his into life."

"Well I guess I won't pry then." Tai replied grinning.

"Just don't bug Matt. If he likes her then he'll tell her." Sora said sitting up beside Tai.

"Now why would I bug him when I have you to bug." Tai said grabbing Sora and pulling her into his lap.

"Tai!" Sora exclaimed, laughing the entire time. "What if someone sees us?"

"Let them. I think we should just tell everyone." Tai started. "It would be easier on us, and our friends wouldn't have to keep it a secret anymore."

"Are you sure about this?" asked Sora.

"Definitely," answered Tai. "And that means I can now do this." Tai leaned over and kissed Sora.

"Well, I can't argue with that." answered Sora, laughing softly. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck, gently pulling him closer to her. "Then I guess I can do this too." Sora pulled him in for a longer kiss.

"Would you two stop that already."

Tai and Sora broke the kiss, both looking a little startled. Matt was sitting up with his eyes closed and his head hanging a little. Waking up had been bad enough, but to see Tai and Sora kissing. _What a way to start the day,_ thought Matt. Izzy who hadn't been paying attention earlier, now was and noticed Tai and Sora. He didn't say anything, but he looked a little surprised.

"Well today is a good day to tell everyone." said Tai, breaking the silence.

"Might as well wait for everyone else to wake up." replied Sora, still sitting in Tai's lap.

Izzy and Matt just sat there in silence.

"So, finally decided to get it out in the open?" Matt finally spoke, grinning a bit.

"Well, why not? The only person who doesn't know is Joe." replied Tai.

"Well, it's much better to get it out in the open. Good for you Tai." Izzy said. "Well that explains where you two were last night."

Tai and Sora both blushed slightly. "Yeah, well..." Tai stuttered, looking a little nervous.

Both Izzy, Matt and Sora started laughing.

"Hey," said Tai, pretending to look hurt.

"Don't worry Tai, we're laughing with you not at you." replied Sora, still giggling.

"But I wasn't laughing." replied Tai.

Mimi woke up to laughing. _Can't a girl get any beauty sleep around here? _thought Mimi sitting up. Then she saw who it was coming from, Matt, Izzy, Sora and Tai. _How sweet,_ Mimi thought when she noticed Sora in Tai's lap. Then it dawned on her, _I didn't fall asleep in camp,_ thought Mimi. _Then how did I get here?_ Then Mimi looked over at Matt who was still laughing. _He must have brought me back, but why? _ While Mimi pondered over these thoughts, the rest of the group noticed that she was awake.

"Hey Mimi, glad you could join us. I see you found your way back to camp." Tai said grinning. Sora just shook her head.

"Yeah, but I sure would like to know how I got back." replied Mimi, looking straight at Matt who just looked away.

"So how did you two get back to camp?" asked Tai. Sora nudged Tai in the stomach. "What was that for?" Tai whispered.

"Tai, one of these days your going to have to learn to keep your mouth shut." replied Sora sighing.

Matt just sat there. _Great, what am I going to tell them?_ thought Matt. _I know._ "Well, Mimi started sleep walking, and I just followed her back to camp." Matt finally replied, not looking at Mimi.

"What? I've never walked in my sleep before." Mimi said, crossing her arms and glaring at Matt.

"Well ya do now." answered Matt, looking out towards the jungle.

Tai, Sora, and Izzy all watched, although none of them really believed Matt's answer, they didn't question him further. Sora got up and went to talk to Mimi and Tai and Izzy went to wake up Joe. Matt sat there on his own.

_No one believed me,_ he thought. _Oh well, at least Tai stopped asking questions._ He looked towards Mimi and Sora. They were both laughing at something Sora said. _Well at least she isn't mad anymore,_ Matt thought to himself. Gabumon walked up beside him.

"What's wrong Matt?" Gabumon asked.

"Nothing." Matt replied.

"Are you sure?" Gabumon asked again.

"Yeah I'm sure." answered Matt.

Gabumon stared at his friend. _Something is really bugging him, _thought Gabumon. "Hey Matt, how about we go find some breakfast?" asked Gabumon smiling happily.

"Sure, why not?" answered Matt, getting up and brushing off his pants.

"Lets get going." Gabumon said, heading off into the jungle.

"Hey Matt wait up!" called out a voice.

_Great, now who is it?_ thought Matt. Matt turned around and found Sora walking up to him. He was a little surprised but didn't let it show.

"What's up?" asked Matt casually.

"Nothin much, just thought you might want some company." Sora replied smiling.

"Sure, Ok." Matt said turning back towards the jungle. They walked in silence, occasionally picking up some fruit or berries to bring back to camp. Matt watched as Sora gathered the fruit.

_I wonder why she came with me, _thought Matt, reaching out to grab the fruit from the bush. Lost in his thoughts he didn't hear Sora calling him. Sora called Matt five times, finally getting a bit impatient, she walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder, "Matt."

Matt had been doing some thinking. Why was everything bothering him? Why did he feel funny about certain subjects, especially Mimi? Matt thought some more on the topic until his thoughts were interrupted by a hand on his shoulder and voice calling out his name. Matt had been so startled that he whirled around, fists ready to attack the intruder but all he found was Sora, looking equally startled herself. Matt looked at the frightened expression on Sora's face and a wave of guilt washed over him. He hadn't meant to scare Sora, and just cause he was startled he had almost attacked her. Matt lowered his arms to his sides and turned his head down, letting the guilt take over. _What's wrong with me?_ Matt thought.

Sora had jumped back when Matt had whirled around, she didn't mean to startle him, but she did and now he looked ready to attack the next thing that moved. _Wow, I wonder what made Matt so jumpy,_ she thought. Sora looked around her just to make sure no one else was around, then when she looked back, Matt had lowered his fists and was looking at the ground. _He's so sad, why?_ wondered Sora. She slowly walked forward, making sure not to startle him.

"Matt, is everything okay?" Sora questioned.

Matt heard Sora coming closer and then finally ask him the question he knew was coming. "Yeah, I'm fine." Matt replied coolly, not looking up.

Sora watched him, waiting for an answer, but didn't like the one she got. She wanted to help, but he wouldn't let her. "Listen Matt. I know something is bothering you. If it's Tai, just tell me and I'll get him to leave you alone. I want to help, but you have to tell me what's wrong." Sora said standing there, not moving closer or farther away.

Matt looked up at her. He knew she was trying to help, but did he really want her help? _I do want to talk to someone,_ thought Matt. _Maybe Sora can help me._ "Alright, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone." Matt replied, looking down at the ground and shuffling his feet nervously.

"Of course Matt, no one will know." Sora answered, a small smile appearing on her face.   


  


To Be Continued....   


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	4. Default Chapter Title

#  **The Crest of Love and Courage**

#  **Part Four**

###  By: Sora

  
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_The Romance of Tai and Sora_   
_Hi, this is my first attempt at writing fan fiction, so please whether it be bad or good I'd really like to get some feedback, well all you Sora and Tai fans enjoy. Mail your comments to me at **Huntress28@hotmail.com**._   
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Matt looked up at her. He knew she was trying to help, but did he really want her help? _I do want to talk to someone,_ thought Matt. _Maybe Sora can help me._ "Alright, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone." Matt replied, looking down at the ground and shuffling his feet nervously.

"Of course Matt, no one will know." Sora answered, a small smile appearing on her face. "So, what's bothering you?"

Matt sat down leaning his back on the tree. "Well," Matt started, not knowing where to begin. "I think it started when you and Tai got together. The feelings were always there, but seeing you two together and happy, it just made me think again." Matt sighed. "And well, I guess I'm kinda jealous of you two. You have each other, while I have no one." Matt looked down again feeling a bit foolish.

"Matt, I'm sorry." Sora said sadly.

"Don't be, you're not doing anything wrong." Matt replied.

"Yes, but we'll try not to act to....um, well anyway, you always have the group and you will find someone to be with. Who knows, maybe its someone you know." Sora said smiling.

"Thanks, Sora." Matt replied.

"Anytime." Sora answered. "We should be going back soon or else the group might start to worry." Sora stood up and gathered the fruit.

"You mean Tai, right?" Matt said grinning.

"Maybe," Sora replied laughing. "Race ya there." With that Sora took off towards the camp.

"Hey no fair," Matt shouted as he started running to catch up.   


Sora and Matt finally arrived back at camp. Gabumon who had left when Matt and Sora started talking, was already sitting there eating the fruit he had gathered. Sora and Matt dropped off the fruit by the fire and walked over to the group who was surrounding Izzy.

"What's happening?" asked Sora reaching the group first.

"Well Izzy has almost established contact with Genni," replied Joe. "Oh, by the way, good for you and Tai." He finished smiling happily.

"T-t-thanks," stammered Sora blushing red. Then she felt an arm wrap around her waist and pull her backwards.

"What took you guys so long?" Tai asked.

"We just had to go a bit further to get the fruit that's all. Why? Were you worried about me?" Sora said teasingly.

"Of course I did," replied Tai, pulling her closer to him, then wrapped his other arm around her.

"I wasn't gone that long," said Sora, leaning her head against his chest and wrapping her arms around him, enjoying the moment.

"Long enough for me," Tai answered, resting his head on top of hers. They stood there like that until they were brought back to attention.

"Cough, cough!"

"What?" Tai replied, looking a bit confused. He looked over to see five people and seven digimon staring at them.

"Sorry to break up this happy little get-together, but Izzy's contacted Genni." Matt said cooly.

"Umm.." Tai stammered turning bright red, while Sora blushed but hid her face in Tai's chest.

"How sweet," gushed Mimi, staring starry-eyed at the two lovebirds. Everyone turned to stare at her. "Ahh....Did I say that out loud?" Mimi laughed nervously. Everyone sweatdrops.

"Well, all this trouble to get a hold of me, and no one even notices I'm here," chuckled a familiar voice.

"Genni." Everyone turned to look at the holographic image of their friend.

"Well I see some of you are enjoying yourselves," remarked Genni when he noticed Tai and Sora who were still holding each other. Blushing even more they moved apart.

"All right already. I think just about the whole digiworld knows about Sora and me now," said Tai, crossing his arms and going over to Genni. "So now what do we do?" he asked.

"Well now it's time you found the eighth digidestined," replied Genni smiling.

"What?!?" the group shouted.

"Yes, didn't I tell you there was an eighth digidestined?" Genni asked the shocked kids.

"No," was all Tai could manage to say.

"Oh, must have slipped my mind," replied Genni looking thoughtfully. Everyone sweatdropped.

"Well then what do we do now, and where is this eighth child?" asked Matt.

"Well the eighth child is back on earth," Genni stated.

"Ok, how do we manage to get back to earth?" asked Izzy.

"For that you have to go to Myotismon's castle," Genni answered.

"What?!?" said the group in shock.

"Yup, Myotismon has found a way to get to earth using a special room beneath his castle." replied Genni. "Well it's tiem for me to go now, you wouldn't believe how much this is costing me." and with that he vanished. The digidestined just stood there in shock. Finally Tai broke the silence.

"Well, I guess we should get going to Myotismon's castle," he said with a grin as he got up and started walking. Everyone had begun to stand up and get ready for another long hike when Tai stopped walking and turned around.

"Umm...guys...which way to Myotismon's castle?" Tai asked sheepishly. The whole group facefaulted, except for Sora who just shook her head and covered her face with her hand.

Finally, after having Izzy tell Tai which direction the castle was, they headed off. After a day of walking they finally reached it and found that Myotismon was recruiting digimon. So they decided to send two of the digimon in to check out for any way to sneak into the castle.

"Ok, Agumon, it's up to you and Palmon to find a way for us to get in. Good luck." Tai said to the dino.

"No prob, Tai." replied Agumon, giving Tai the thumbs up (or whatever he uses as thumbs) and then he and Palmon went into the castle yard.

The digidestined waited anxiously for the two digimon to return.

"What's taking them so long? Something must have gon wrong," Tai said standing up.

"Relax, Tai. It's a big place and they're supposed to be recruits," Sora replied, grabbing Tai's hand and pulling him back down so he was sitting again.

"Fine, but we can't wait much longer," Tai said, looking upset but still holding Sora's hand. He leaned against a tree and closed his eyes, silently hoping that everything was ok.

Matt sat off in the opposite direction of the others, leaning on a tree and playing his harmonica. _Man, what am I going to do?_ he thought as he thought about all that was happening and what he was feeling. He looked over to Mimi who was discussing fashion with Biyomon. _I think I like her...but I'm not sure.._ Matt shook his head as the thought raced through his mind. _Man, this is to confusing._ He turned towards Joe and Izzy who were talking about going back home and about finding the eighth child.

TK, who had been sitting beside Matt, noticed him looking around. "What's wrong, Matt?" asked TK worriedly.

Matt snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at TK and smiled. "Nothings wrong, so don't you worry," Matt replied as he went back to playing his harmonica.

Agumon and Palmon finally got back and told the Digidestined what they knew. "All right, lets move out!" Tai shouted happily, with that they headed into the castle.   
  
  


To Be Continued....

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End file.
